Fonseca pleased as rotation pays off

The Giallorossi picked up a valuable three points thanks to Borja Mayoral's sharp first half finish, as the boss was also able to rotate a number of key players ahead of Thursday's return meeting with Ajax in the Europa League.

Roma hold a 2-1 advantage going into that fixture, as they look to move on to the semi-finals of the competition.

Here's what the boss had to say after Sunday's victory.

Are there mostly positives to take from this game?

“Yes. We changed a lot of players, it was important to be able to rest a few of the lads who played in the game against Ajax. It’s true that we struggled a bit in the first half because of the pressure they put us under with their one-to-one marking. But I think we found the right balance eventually and in the second half it was a completely different game. We created a lot of chances to score more goals.”

Henrikh Mkhitaryan came back in the second half – could he now be involved on Thursday?

“Let’s see how he is then. I have to say that he only trained with us on a Saturday and played just a few minutes today. But the main thing is that he will be available for the game against Ajax.”

Roma seem to always play attractive football. If you could reduce the number of defensive errors you might be able to achieve something special. How far away do you think this side is from doing something like that – for example, like reaching the Europa League final?

“It’ll be a tough game against Ajax, they are a really good side. We will need to stay really focused defensively, avoiding making any mistakes. We will need to be at 100 per cent again. It’s important that the players realise that the tie is far from over. We will need to play the perfect game to progress to the next round.”

If Leonardo Spinazzola is out will that change things for you defensively?

“I want to start thinking about the Ajax game now – but it’s not easy to change the tactical setup at this point.”

What did you make of Bryan Reynolds’ debut?

“He’s learning a lot, he’s improving – but we cannot forget that he is still very young. He’s just joined a team in a completely different league, he’s going to need time. But today he played well.

"It wasn’t easy to start the game. Perhaps he had a few nervy moments out there, but overall I liked what I saw. As I've said, he has a future.”